Netizens Praise ‘Visionary’ Hardik Pandya Following Divorce from Wife

Fans have recently given Team India all-rounder Hardik Pandya various nicknames following his separation from his wife, Natasa Stankovic. Some hailed him as a visionary, while others noted his cleverness after an old video of him discussing alimony surfaced on social media.

In the video, Hardik mentioned that he had transferred most of his earnings to his mother, and his properties were listed under her name. This led to social media buzz about Natasa Stankovic’s rights to Hardik Pandya’s net worth, estimated to be around INR 165 crore.

On Thursday, Hardik Pandya announced on Instagram that he and Natasa Stankovic were parting ways. “After 4 years of being together, Natasa and I have decided to mutually part ways. We tried our best together and gave it our all, and we believe this is in the best interest for both of us. This was a tough decision for us to make, given the joy, mutual respect, and companionship we enjoyed together and as we grew a family,” he wrote.

He added, “We are blessed with Agastya, who will continue to be at the center of both our lives and we will co-parent to ensure that we give him everything that we can for his happiness. We sincerely request your support and understanding to give us privacy during this difficult and sensitive time.”

The 30-year-old cricketer’s post quickly went viral, prompting a wave of reactions online. Many fans labeled Natasa Stankovic a gold-digger, alleging that she pursued a relationship with Hardik Pandya for financial and social gain.

It’s noteworthy that rumors about their relationship troubles had been circulating for some time, especially after Natasa dropped the Pandya surname from her social media profiles. She also deleted all her pictures with Hardik from Instagram and had not been seen supporting him during his international or IPL matches, even during his challenging times.

For instance, Natasa remained silent when Hardik faced severe online criticism and was booed during the 2024 IPL after being named the captain of the Mumbai Indians, replacing Rohit Sharma. She did not publicly support him after he suffered an injury during India’s ODI World Cup campaign last year.

Interestingly, this isn’t the only setback Hardik Pandya has faced recently. Earlier this week, he was removed from leadership positions in the Indian Cricket Team for the upcoming T20I series against Sri Lanka. The national selection committee, led by Ajit Agarkar, decided not to name him captain, instead choosing veteran batter Suryakumar Yadav for the role, with Shubman Gill as the vice-captain.

Former India batter Mohammad Kaif criticized the decision, arguing Hardik had already demonstrated his leadership skills in the IPL. “Hardik has captained the Gujarat Titans for 2 years, and in their first year itself, they made it to the final. Hardik has experience captaining the T20I side. He was also the vice-captain at the T20 World Cup. Now, a new coach has arrived, there will be new planning. Surya is also a good player, he has been playing for years. He is a No. 1 T20 player, I hope he will shoulder the captain’s responsibility well. But, I feel they should have backed Hardik,” Kaif said in an interview with news agency IANS.

“Gambhir is the experienced captain and coach. He understands cricket very well. I think ‘Hardik ne aisa koi galat kaam nahi kiya ki unko captaincy na mile’ (Hardik has not done anything wrong that he should not get the captaincy),” Kaif elaborated. “He has experience, has captained in the IPL, and leading a new team (Gujarat Titans) to the trophy with fresh young faces is a huge accomplishment. He made the Titans win by working from Ground Zero in the IPL. I think he was entitled to the captaincy. So let’s just wait and see,” Kaif explained.

Meanwhile, Ajit Agarkar, India’s chairman of selectors, addressed the rumors surrounding Hardik’s demotion from team skipper to a regular player. “Regarding Hardik, he’s still a very important player for us. Fitness has obviously been a challenge for him, which becomes difficult for the coach or selectors. Fitness is a clear challenge and we want someone who is available more often than not. Having said that, we believe Surya has the qualities necessary to be a captain. We also feel we can manage Hardik better; we’ve seen what he can do with the bat and ball in the World Cup. We speak to every player, whether their role has changed. And yeah, we’ve spoken to him,” Ajit Agarkar said in a press conference ahead of Team India’s departure to Sri Lanka.

Source: various sources